crosses are heavy

My relationship-building time with Jesus so far this year has been a slow trip through the Gospel according to Matthew. I typically read the Bible in a year, but for 2009, I wanted to take a more slow, thoughtful journey through the Scriptures. I've been stopped in Matthew, Chapter 16 now for a few days. Verses 24-26 have me captivated. Here's what they say: "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?'" Wow! There is so much said in those 3 verses that just one day with them won't cut it for me--they are life/world-shattering! Think about this: the invitation to follow Jesus is the invitation to take his life upon yourself--to allow his way of life to become our way of life. How do we do that? Three things: (1) TURN (2) TAKE UP (3) FOLLOW. First, just as Jesus said, we have to TURN from our self-centeredness, realizing that without God, we've got it all wrong and will totally mess things up--for ourselves and those around us. We will be a part of the problem, not the solution. Second, we have to TAKE UP Jesus' way of life, which is the way of the cross, making a life of service to others what we are known by. And third, we have to continually be in relationship with Jesus in order to know his heart and share his character. We can't make a one-stop commitment to Jesus and be done with it. No way! It takes a continual following. Ok, some questions: What would Jesus say is self-centered is your life? Which aspect of Jesus' character do you need to 'take up?' What daily practices do you need to add to your life to help you follow him? Crosses are heavy, so bulk up to carry them well.